A Bat Indoors
by SoManyPuns
Summary: A bat that is found indoors is most likely to be a crevice-dwelling species. These bats are often lost youngsters or migrating bats. Oftentimes they will find their way out through an open window after dark. If this is not an option, and if you feel confident that you can move the animal without physically touching it or injuring it, proceed to step one.


_youngsters or migrating bats. Oftentimes they will find their way out through an open window after dark. If this is not an option, and if you feel confident that you can move the animal without physically touching it or injuring it, proceed to step one._

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Uh...Sir?"

Jim Gordon sighed quietly. Things could never go easily, could they? "What is it Mathews?" he asked, approaching the young officer. The musty scent of the building irritates his nose and he wonders how the gang stood it for so long. Granted, it was only a couple weeks before one of the bats tracked them down and now they were bound and gagged in the front room, waiting for transport.

As thorough as the bats were, it was procedure for the GCPD to check through each room in case there was something that they had missed, or, more likely, that someone had come back. Which is how Gordon got into this situation.

Mathews stepped back, away from the doorway as Jim moved toward him to see just what he had found. The room was dim, lit only by what light drifted in from the hallway, Jim's shadow fell over a lithe body. A familiar body. He didn't see as much of Batgirl as he did of the boys, but he was familiar with the female crime fighter, which made seeing the girl brought so low difficult.

"You're the resident Bat expert." Mathews said, making his escape. Jim sighed, how did he get into these situations? Nonetheless, he stepped into the room, flicking on the light switch and closing the door behind him. Batgirl did not need an audience for this moment of weakness.

 _Step 1: Wait until the animal is motionless: A bat that is flying is almost impossible to catch, and you have a greater chance of injuring the bat if you attempt to capture it while it is airborne. In addition, bats that are caught while flying frequently panic and attempt to bite. Be patient. Wait until the bat lands and is still, then proceed to step two._

The light seemed to stir the young hero and she groaned weakly, stirring enough to get her hands underneath her body and attempt to lever herself up. She only made it about six inches off the ground before her arms gave out and she was back on the floor.

"Batgirl." Jim said quietly. He'd hung around the big man enough to know that you didn't sneak up on a bat, especially a wounded one. True to this assumption, the sound of his voice startled Batgirl into swiping blindly with a batarang. Had he been closer, she likely would have left a nasty cut on his leg. "Batgirl." he tried again. "Its me, the commissioner."

"Dad?" she asked weakly and oh God, how bad was this if she was confusing him with her father?

"No." he said gently, the last thing he needed was her thinking he was her father and accidentally giving away her identity. "Its Jim Gordon."

She blinked and shook her head, as though trying to clear a fog. "...Right." she managed, once again trying to lever herself up, this time with a little more success. Now Jim could see the dark puddle of blood underneath her body, staining her suit. Shit. That was not good. She leaned her upper body against the wall, seeming to gather herself before looking at him with the unsettling pure white eyes of her cowl.

 _Step 2: Contain the Bat. Quietly approach the bat, and , wearing thick gloves or using a thick towel, gather the bat up (holding it securely but not tightly) and place it into a box or similar container with a lid ._

"What can I do for you?" Batgirl asks, using the wall to pry herself off the floor. She nearly falls, but now that she's acknowledged him, Jim feels he can get closer without being horribly maimed.

"Not die, for one." He says gruffly, catching her arm as she nearly spills onto the floor. "Do you have any idea what your boss would do to me if I lost one of his brood on the job?"

Batgirl manages a rough laugh (and even the Bat's still working on doing that) and allows Gordon to guide her over to a ratty couch. He is careful to gently guide her down instead of letting her flop, he doesn't want to aggravate the wound any more that moving it already has.

 _Step 3: Release the Bat outdoors at night. Once the bat has been captured, take the container outdoors. Take a flashlight and a towel or gloves with you just in case the bat has problems flying away. Proceed to step 4._

The Heroine pulls a roll of gauze from her belt and quickly and efficiently binds her wound. Jim stands nearby, awkwardly making sure that she doesn't pass out in the middle of her first aid. He is seriously not the person for this, but like Mathews said, he's the closest thing to a bat expert around here.

"You alright?" he asks once he's sure he won't distract her from some life-saving procedure that she is preforming on _herself_.

"I will be." she says, standing with only slight wobbling and lurching towards the window that he assumes was her original escape route before this whole thing began. Jim flips the latches and pulls it up for her, stoutly ignoring the way that he's holding open the window like he holds open the door for his daughter.

'Who says chivalry is dead?' he thinks to himself, but not out loud, terrible quips, one liners and puns are Robin's territory.

 _Step 4:Watch it leave. Use the flashlight to watch the bat fly away. If the bat does not fly away, or attempts to fly but seems unable to, it is likely that it has an injury or illness. It may be a disoriented juvenile, or it may simply be dehydrated or starved from being trapped indoors. If this is the case, use the towel or gloves (Not bare hands) to gather the bat up and proceed to step 5._

Batgirl gets about as far as hauling herself up onto the windowsill before Jim intervenes. She's breathing heavy and ragged. The fresh gauze is stained dark red with blood and he cannot do this. Gordon puts a hand on Batgirl's shoulder and she looks back to him.

"Get back in here kid." he says tiredly, "I'm not letting you traipse through the city half dead."

 _Step 5: Call a local wildlife rehabilitator for assistance_

It speaks to just how badly off she is that Batgirl doesn't put up protest. She only hesitates a brief moment, looking out at the city as though contemplating just how far it is until she's home, or to Batman's hideout before nodding. "No hospitals." she rasps.

"Wasn't planning on it." Jim pulls the special communicator given to him by the Big Bat himself from his pocket and hits the only number it will call. It doesn't even ring before Batman picks up.

"Talk." he says in his usual charming fashion.

"Got one of yours here, looks like she's gonna need some help." Gordon doesn't even get to finish the sentence before Batman is growling.

"Where."

"The old abandoned apartment complex on 87th"

The phone call ends with a click and Gordon stows the phone back in his pocket. "He's on his way." He informs Batgirl, as though she probably hasn't been listening in on the entire call. She only nods and moves back to the couch, sinking deeply into the cushions.

Thirty seconds later, Batman is in the room, looming next to the window like a living shadow. "Report." he snaps, but his long experience with the bat clue's Gordon that his growl is a bit softer than usual.

"Bullet wound." Batgirl replies. "Already pulled out the slug, needs stitches though."

Somehow the Bat manages to make a nod seem ominous before crossing the room in one gigantic stride, cape rippling out behind him and gathering his charge up in his arms. "Thank you." He says simply, before dropping a smoke pellet and vanishing.

"You're welcome." Gordon says to the empty room, but he's pretty sure that the Bat heard it. He is Batman after all.


End file.
